


suggestions

by lalaietha



Category: Calvin & Hobbes
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Orphans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-20
Updated: 2011-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-27 14:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/296797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalaietha/pseuds/lalaietha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just because Calvin grew up and his world changed didn't mean he and Hobbes changed at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	suggestions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [calvinahobbes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/calvinahobbes/gifts).



> Written for Calvinahobbes as a Yuletide treat. Hopefully, it appeals!

Climbing this far up the tree probably counted as one of those "unnecessary risks" that Dr Phan kept getting on his case about, but after today, Calvin needed to be up somewhere high to clear his head. Somewhere up high, so that he didn't do something stupid like pack up himself and Hobbes and get in the beat-up truck and drive until he ran out of gas. Which would be idiotic and problematic on whole new scales, and besides (said the voice of Dr Phan in his head) it probably wasn't warranted by another argument with the guidance counsellor.

Besides, Hobbes would nag if he did that.

He waited near the top until Hobbes pulled himself up and slung himself out along the branch. The tiger hadn't said much since they'd come home from school, and there'd been nobody at the home anyway. Calvin let his head fall back against the tree-trunk.

"Maybe I'll take up smoking," he said, more to see where that'd go than anything else.

"You tried that once," Hobbes pointed out, sleepily. "If you recall, you nearly choked to death."

"Yeah," Calvin replied, rolling his eyes. "Because I was fucking _six_ , Hobbes. Which I'm not anymore."

"Then by all means, court lung-cancer and a costly addiction," Hobbes said, yawning through the words in a tigerly fashion, all teeth exposed. "I expect that'll get you all the girls."

After trying to think of a snappy comeback for at least five seconds, Calvin stuck a foot out and made a sort of gesture at kicking Hobbes off the branch. It moved the tiger about as much as Calvin expected, but it was the principle of the thing.

Then he put his foot back where it had been and glared at the leaves, running over the afternoon again, and getting angry again. He kept asking if he could stop going to the stupid counsellor, since he obviously wasn't going to university and so didn't need any help figuring out how to apply to them, not that any of them would take him with his grade anyway, so what was the point, he asked the universe, of having to sit in that stupid office while Mr Kramer basically told him how much he sucked, how much he failed at, and how nobody would take him seriously if he carried a stuffed tiger around.

If it had been punishment, that would be one thing, but this was supposed to _help_.

Calvin had always had a vague hope that adults would seem less stupid and make more sense the closer he got to being one. As yet, no dice.

 

He sat up in the tree until the sun was starting to go down. By then, Hobbes' tail was lashing enough that Calvin decided to take the hint before he got batted off his branches, and slid down the way he'd come up. Plus, it was getting cold, chilly enough that he shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked and wished he'd brought his jacket.

After a while, he said, "I'm dreaming about the crash again."

"I noticed that when you were hitting me in the head last night," Hobbes said. "And wouldn't wake up."

"Sorry," Calvin said with a wince; as he walked, Hobbes shrugged.

"My noble spirit allows me to bear all kinds of trials," he replied. "It's a tigerly gift."

" . . .okay, maybe I'm not sorry," Calvin muttered, and shivered a little.

"You should talk to Dr Phan about it," Hobbes told him, ignoring the mutter. Calvin resisted the urge to stick out his tongue.

"I thought you didn't like her."

Hobbes sniffed. "I'm not a figment of your imagination," he said. "And I'm _certainly_ not a projection or reflection of _your_ subconscious. It's an insulting thought."

"Oh shut up," Calvin said, not bothering with shooting back at that one.

 

When he got back to the house, the new girl was there sitting at the kitchen table, doing her homework. She snapped her gum at him and narrowed her eyes. "Do you seriously carry that stupid tiger everywhere?"

"Yep," Calvin replies, hanging up his coat and kicking off his shoes into a mildly acceptable corner. "Makes sure that times like this, I have someone to talk to that's moderately more intelligent than pond scum."

He took the stairs to his room two at a time and ignored whatever she said to his back. He felt a little bad - he didn't know what her story was, but all their stories were sad, from dead parents to really bad ones - but not really, because he knew she'd stolen Shara's strawberries and eaten them all, and Shara thought she'd stolen some bath-salts too, and that wasn't cool.

He locked the door and flopped out on the bed. They were pretty pathetic locks: you could get them open from the other side with a screwdriver. But it made a rattling noise when you did which at least gave Calvin warning.

Hobbes shifted along the bed so that Calvin could lean his head on the tiger's side. "This week sucks, buddy," Calvin announced.

"Susie's going to be back the day after tomorrow," Hobbes replied. Sometimes Calvin thought it would kill the tiger to agree with him. Calvin thought about it, and then made a face.

"Yeah," he said, "but she'll be mad at me because I didn't do my English homework."

"If you don't _do_ it." Hobbes examined his claws. "You could defy her expectations."

"Are you implying - wait, never mind," Calvin said, unable to muster up the energy for the back and forth. "I can't focus on the stupid book. And yes, I took my fucking pills. It doesn't help, I lose track of where I am on the page and forget what's going on. When she's here, I can read it out loud and I keep track of things." Stupid Susie and her stupid going to Disneyland. Calvin would try to pretend Disneyland was just for kids, except that really he was annoyed she was there and he was here. Friends weren't supposed to go on awesome vacations without friends, even if the vacation was a present from some stupid aunt who thought Calvin was too involved in the Derkins' life anyway.

Stupid people.

"So read it out loud." Hobbes switched paws, and groomed the space between claws a little.

"Yeah, and have everyone think I'm a moron?" Calvin growled. "No thanks."

"Tell them you're reading it to me," Hobbes offered. "Then they'll just think you're weird. Er. Weirder than they already do."

Calvin looked for a flaw in this plan. Eventually, grudgingly, he said, "Okay, that might work." Then he dug in his bag for _The Great Gatsby_.

A half hour later, when the new girl knocked and called "What are you _doing?_ " though the door, he shouted back, "Reading to my stuffed tiger." It made her go away.


End file.
